sociology c1 (basics)

what is a social institution

various social organisations found in all societies

examples of social institutions

school, family

what is social structure

social institutions and relationships which form the building blocks of society

what is objectivity

when sociologists approach research with an open mind

what are the two criteria that objectivity covers

• willingness to consider all evidence

• have their work available for criticism by other researchers

what is value freedom

sociologists try to not be influenced by prejudice or their beliefs when carrying out research and interpreting evidence

what are naturalistic explanations

various kinds of human behaviour are natural or based on biological characteristics

what is socialization

the lifelong process of learning the culture of any society

who carries out socialization

agencies of socialization e.g. family, education system

what is culture

language, beliefs, values, customs etc. which make up the ‘way of life’ of society

what is identity

how individuals (and others) see and define themselves

what are roles

patterns of behaviour which are expected from individuals in society

how are roles learnt

by copying or imitating the behaviour and attitudes of others

who are role models

peoples pattern or behaviour which others copy and model their own behaviour on

examples of role models

teachers, parents

what is role conflict

conflict between successful performance of two or more roles at the same time (e.g. mother who is also a student and worker)

what are values

general beliefs about what is right or wrong

what are some values in england (4)

• respect for human life

• privacy and private property

• importance of marriage

• importance of money and success

what are laws

official legal rules which are formally enforced by the police and government

what are norms

social rules which define the correct and acceptable behaviour in a society

are norms or values more precise

norms - they put values into practice in particular situations

how are norms enforced

informally e.g. embarrassment, being told off by teachers or parents

what are customs

norms which have lasted a long time and are now part of societies traditions

what is an example of a custom

buying and giving easter eggs

how do values and norms differ universally

between societies e.g. african tribes will be very different to english society

what is social control

various methods used to persuade or force individuals to conform to dominant values and norms in society

what is social control used to prevent

deviance

what is deviance

failure to conform to social values

what are the 2 types of social control

informal (peer group pressure, public opinion) and formal (school rules, laws)

what is a sanction

rewards and punishments by which social control is achieved

what are the two types of sanction

positive and negative

what is a social class

a group of people who share a similar economic situation (e.g. occupation level)

what is income

flow of money obtained from work, investments or the state

what is wealth

property in the form of assets which can be sold and turned into cash for the owner

what 3 things are very influential to a persons social status, influence and housing

• occupation

• wealth

• income

what does social class have a major influence on

life chances

what are life chances

chances of obtaining desirable things and avoiding undesirable things

what is social mobility

the movement of individuals up or down the social hierarchy (from one social class to another)

what is the class system (4)

1. upper class

2. middle class

3. working class

4. underclass

what is the upper class

a small class of those who are the main owners of societies wealth

what is the middle class

a large class of those who work in non-manual work, often performed in offices

what is the working class

the largest social class, those working in manual jobs, like factory jobs

what is the underclass

a small class of those at the bottom of the social hierarchy, who are in some ways excluded from the rest of society

what is status (2)

• the role someone occupies in society

• the social importance of a person in someone else’s eyes

what is ascribed status

status given by birth or family background

what is achieved status

status achieved by an individuals efforts

what is ethnicity

the shared culture of a social group which gives its members a common identity (different to other groups)

what is a minority ethnic group

a social group which is different from the majority population of a society

what is gender

culturally created differences between men and women

how are gender norms learnt

through socialisation

what is sex

biological differences between men and women

what is a perspective

a way of looking at something

what is a sociological perspective

theories which influence what is looked at when studying society

what is structuralism

a perspective which focuses on:

• the overall structure of society

• how individual behaviour is moulded by social institutions (e.g. school, media, work)

what do structuralists believe

identities are formed by social forces external to the individual, through socialisation and sanctions

what is an example of how structuralists believe individuals are like

puppets, whose strings are pulled by society

what is a macro approach

an approach focusing on the large scale structure of society as a whole rather then the individuals

what are the two main types of structuralism

functionalism and marxism

what is functionalism

a sociological perspective which sees society as made up of parts which work together to maintain society as an integrated whole

who are the two main sociologists responsible for functionalism

• Émile Durkheim

• Talcott Parsons

lifespan of durkheim

1858-1917

lifespan of parsons

1902-1979

what is an example of how functionalism is visualised

the human body, with organs contributing to the functioning of society

what do functionalists argue are necessary for society to survive

functional prerequisites

what is a functional prerequisite

basic needs that must be met for society to survive (eg production of food, caring for the young)

what is a value consensus

a general agreement around the main values and norms of society

what is marxism

a strucural theory of society which sees society divided by conflict between two main opposing social classes, due to private ownership of the means of production

what are the means of society

key resources necessary for producing society’s goods

who is the main sociologist responsible for marxism

karl marx

lifespan of karl marx

1818-1883

what does marx believe is the driving force of society

the economy → this is what influences the nature of social institutions, peoples values and beliefs

what 2 things does the infrastructure (the economic base) consist of

means of production and relations of production

what are examples of means of production

the land, factories, raw materials and technology

what are examples of relations of production

shared or private ownership of production eg. slaves, paid work

what is relations of production

the relationships formed between people involved in production

what is ideology

a set of ideas, values, and beliefs which represent the outlook and justifies the interests of a social group

what is the superstructure

society’s social institutions (eg family, eductation, media) which marx saw as primarily influenced by the economic system

what did marx argue

workers produce more than what is needed for employers to pay them their wages

what is surplus value

extra value added by workers to the products they produce, after allowing for payment of wages

where does surplus value go to

the employer, in the form of profit

what does this mean for the workers

they are being exploited, as they are working more then what they are paid for → due to surplus value

what does marx argue the two main classes are in society

a smaller group of bourgeoisie (rich capitalists) and a much larger group of proletariat (working class)

what is the proletariats only means of living

selling labour

what did marx call this

labour power (to the bourgeoisie in exchange for a salary)

what is labour power

peoples capacity to work

what is the bourgeoisie

class of owners of the means of production in industrial societies, whose primary purpose is to make profit

what is the proletariat

the social class of those who have to work for wages as they don’t own any means of production

what did marx say this exploitation created

major differences in class, creating conflict

what is this called

class conflict

what did marx believe about class conflict

it affects all areas of life

what did max argue is the ruling class

the owning class → they are able to choose things e.g. factory location

what does the ruling class have

control over the economy = gives them power over all aspects of sociology = rule over society

what is dominant ideology

dominant ideas of a society, chosen by the ruling class

what is dominant ideology also referred to as

ruling class ideology

what is an example of this

the law protects the rights of the owning class more then the lower class

what is false consciousness (described by marx)

when the working class is unaware of their own interests, and how to better protect them

what is class consciousness (described by marx)

when the working class realise their exploitation and real interests = lead them to revolt against the system

what would happen if the classes eventually revolted

the bourgeoisie would be overthrown, power would be put in the hands of the working class and a new society would form which has the interests of everyone

what is this new society that would form called

communism

what is a communist society

an equal society without social classes or conflict, where means of production are the property of everyone